This just in…I eat a lot.
I posted a photo to my personal Facebook page the other day and a long time friend who lives in Florida asked “Do you really eat all this stuff?”
Yes, Keith. I do.
You might think a list like this is a smidge late, but as I write this on September 19th, my Farmer’s Almanac tells me I’ve got a few more days left before we officially flip to Fall. So, I think the timing of this write up is perfect, actually.
As you might imagine, I eat a lot of good food. It’s also important to mention again that I eat a lot of not good food too. It happens more than you know. I just don’t talk about it. But yeah, I get a fair share of ‘that was pretty bad’ in my travels.
That said, there was a lot of ‘that’s actually amazing’ over the Summer. Dish after dish after dish kept blowing me away. The run of great eats became so frequent that at some point I thought I need to write about it. We need to state for the record that this isn’t a ranking. It’s impossible to rank a plate of nachos in the same group as a beautiful ceviche. That’s just silly. So, formalities out of the way, here you go:
Oysters at Common Thread – Savannah
Everything I’ve had at Common Thread has been over the top outstanding. It should tell you something that I’ve been there three times since they opened in February. I have to say though, some oysters I enjoyed back in June were maybe the best I’ve ever had. Tomato water, gin, shallot and basil. The combination was just so delicious that I actually cussed on social media. I typically don’t do that. If you haven’t been, you need to get to Common Thread yesterday.
Wood Grilled Ribeye Nachos – Blue Mabel Smokehouse and Provisions, Blue Mountain Beach, Florida
Admittedly, this was an Instagram impulse. I knew I wanted to try Blue Mabel, but it wasn’t until later that I saw a photo of this dish. A pile of chips, queso, charro beans, salsa verde, pico de gallo and a significant portion of perfectly cooked ribeye steak chopped on top. What made this dish was the freshness. The steak was great, ok fine. But the salsa and the pico were over the top good. I ordered it for 3 and it was gone in 3 minutes. We almost ordered a 2nd one. For the record, everything we had was fantastic. I cannot wait to get back there. But those nachos will make you cry.
Austrailian Wagyu Skirt Steak – Stone and Webster Chophouse, Savannah
Overall, the food at Plant Riverside can leave a little to be desired. We’ll be chatting about that soon enough. But this was different. The night I was there, chef directed me to this steak frites. (photo above) The part of the menu where he gets to play with the cuts he purchases a little bit. Maybe the best steak I’ve had in Savannah. Over the top wonderful. I hedge a little with the ‘maybe’ because I still dream about a NY Strip I had at Noble Fare one time years ago. Chef Patty Mac blew my mind that night. It wasn’t inexpensive ($75) but when your fries were included, that’s right in line with any high end steakhouse in America. Crazy crazy good.
Scallop Crudo – Michael’s St. Augustine
Michael Lugo is one of St. Augustine’s most popular chefs. His spot, Michael’s sits right in the middle of Old Town St. Augustine. It has been incredibly popular for years. I had the pleasure of enjoying a chef’s tasting over the Summer and was blown away by all of it really, but the scallop crudo was other-worldly delicious.
It was served with an avocado crema, charred oranges, garden vegetables and some pink peppercorns which gave us a wonderful amount of heat for the dish. I do have the mention the mofongo was spectacular as well. But the crudo I haven’t stopped talking about since.
Emporium Market Catch with Shrimp Bisque and Georgia Shrimp and Andouille Pirlou – Emporium Kitchen and Market, Savannah
This was the last thing I added to the list. Frankly, it was so good that I had to bump something else off of the list to keep it at five. We talked about what is going on at Emporium last week here. But this dish I had for dinner a few weeks ago was quite possibly the best fish dish I’ve had all year. Maybe a couple of years. Hard to keep tabs because I’ve enjoyed a few, but this was simply delicious. The shrimp bisque alone was legendary.
A few honorable mentions: Doughnuts at Repeal 33, Truffle Cheesesteak at DiPasquale’s, Baltimore, Maryland. Chilled Shrimp and Tomato salad, The Roosevelt, Richmond, Virginia and Jay Langfelder’s NY Style pizza. (coming to Big Bon Bodega beginning October 6th).
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